President Maada Bio today gave the nation a surprise when State House announced that the Head of State had carried out a cabinet reshuffle which saw some key changes in ministerial and ambassadorial positions.
The stunning post-Independence Anniversary shake-up saw the much-criticized Chief Minister, Dr. David Francis–whose position was next in rank after the President– removed and transferred to the Foreign Service as the substantive minister , in what is an obvious demotion.
The Chief Minister’s post was then given to another very controversial and widely-criticized official, Finance Minister Jacob Jusu Saffa, who had been receiving the stick for the poor state of the Sierra Leone economy, escalating food prices and a steep dive in the value of the national currency, the Leone. According to President Bio, Jusu would superintend the Finance Ministry under a replacement is appointed.
The reshuffle , which went viral on social media and provoked animated debates , also saw another demotion for Mr. Allie Kabba who was switched from the post of Permanent Representative to the United Nations to Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Egypt, in what is his second demotion in three years after he was early transferred from his post of Foreign Minister to PR in New York. Mr. Kabba will be replaced by President Bio’s brother-in-law, Mr. Fanday Turay, who served briefly as Military Attache at the same Mission under former President Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People’s Congress ( APC )
Why President Bio keeps demoting Kabba, who played a major and substantial role in helping to bring him to power is not known, but supporters of Kabba are alleged to be aggrieved and there were unconfirmed reports this evening of open public discontent about the demotions of both him and the Chief Minister in Kenema, from where both men hailed. It is very obvious that President Bio does not want Kabba close to the seat of office at State House or even within the country.
Yet another apparent demotion saw Mr. Solomon Gembeh removed as Sierra Leone’s High Commission to Nigeria and brought to Freetown to be a member of the Board of the National Telecommunications Commission. Gembeh’s post went to Mr. Rupert Davies, who had also previously served the New York Mission as Deputy Permanent Representative for Political Affairs under the President Koroma APC Government.
Another big news in the reshuffle is the apparent dismissal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mrs. Nabila Tunis.
